Dear Speed
by KelticKitten
Summary: Animeverse - not linked to my other stories. In the series, I was never really satisfied that Speed actually placed a lot of importance on Trixie. This story posits what would happen if Trixie were to decide that she couldn't take any more. (Warning, Trixie does get a bit of bullying from Speed's fans, so she's not really a happy girl) - Feedback would be appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Animeverse –

Dear Speed

Trixie took one last look around her empty apartment before taking her suit case and walking out towards her car. Over the past few weeks, she had boxed up her belongings. Today, the moving van had come and removed everything from her apartment. She had turned in her key. Speed had not been over, even though they had been out every night. She had just told him that her place was a mess and she didn't want him to see it like this. Speed had not questioned it. He had no idea she was leaving.

Although it was stupid, she couldn't just not see him. Trixie knew she loved him, but she also knew Speed. Sure, he enjoyed her presence. He might even miss her. A little.

But there would be a pretty blonde or a brunette or redhead in the stands at the next race, and he'd forget all about her. And without her standing there to remind him that she existed, Speed would completely forget she had ever been there.

Trixie wiped her eyes. No, this had to be done. She would never be able to tell him face to face. She would take one look at that handsome face and into those beautiful blue eyes, and she'd lose her resolve.

He'd be mad, but Speed wouldn't lose any sleep over it, over her. It would probably be a relief to him.

She went to a nearby coffee shop, bought a latte and sat at a secluded table near the back. Even though she was leaving, she didn't want them to worry. She reached for the paper she had set out, and grabbed a pen, nervously clicking it opened and closed several times before she finally started the first of two letters.

Dear Mrs. Racer:

I want to thank you and your husband for making me feel like a part of your family. I have to leave. I know it is cowardly to do this in writing, but I know that if I tried it in person, I'd never work up the courage to do so, or you'd say something so wonderful and wise it would change my mind. But I can't. I have to have a new start.  
I am sorry.  
Trixie

She re-read it over. It was vague and told them nothing. However, Trixie was not going to say anything against Speed to his mother. She wished that she could tell them how much they had meant to her, how much she'd miss them, how she would always consider them to be family.

But she could not. They deserved a better note, but Trixie could not bring herself to write it. She took a deep breath and started on Speed's letter.

Dear Speed:

I am sorry. By the time you read this, I will be gone. I thought you deserved to know why I had to go. And I didn't want you to worry about me. I wish I had the courage to say it to you and look into your eyes one last time, but I do not. Trust me, I have tried. So many times, I've tried. But then I look at your face, and you smile, and my resolve falters.

Speed, I love you. I have for a very long time. I know you don't feel the same for me. That's okay. I wish you did, I wish you could. But I know you don't. I know you never will. It breaks my heart that you don't love me, but I don't blame you. I'm not that pretty, or smart, or fun. Every time you see a beautiful girl, I know I can't compete with her. I'm just there. I'm comfortable. I'm safe.

I cannot tell you how many times I've stood by, watching you look at other girls and wishing that just once you'd look at me like that. How many times I wished you would drop everything to spend time with me…rather than dropping me to do anything else.

Speed, I think you're wonderful. But I have accepted for far too long that while I'm a part of your life, I'm not an important one. Racing will always be your number one priority. I'm not complaining about that. Racing should be your first priority. I could live with that, if only I were just below it. Or even just below your family. But I know I'm not. I know where I stand, Speed. I am last, behind anything else that comes along. And it's okay. Really, it is. I've accepted that.

Don't you see? That is why I must go. I should not accept that. I deserve better. I don't mean I deserve someone better than you, because there isn't anyone better than you. You're wonderful. But I do deserve someone who will make me as high of a priority in his life as I have made you in mine. I deserve someone who thinks I am as wonderful as I have always thought you to be. I wish it would be you. But, it isn't. And nothing I ever do will change that.

Truthfully, Speed, you deserve someone who you feel that way for too. It isn't me. It breaks my heart that it isn't. I wish that it could be. I would give anything for you to feel that way about me.

I just cannot stay here anymore, watching you look at other girls the way I wish you'd look at me…just once. Like I mattered, like I was the most important person to you. I know I'm not. I know I'm forgettable. I know I'm not as pretty as they are. I looked forward to each of our trips, all of the time that I could spend with you – but I lived in constant fear of the moment your eyes would lock on another beautiful girl and I would disappear. I would forgive you every time that it happened, not that you ever asked me to forgive you. Because you never really realized that you'd just broken my heart. Again. I would forgive you because I could not give you up.

So I have to disappear, for my own good. I have to get away from you. I will always love you, and I will miss you more than you will ever know.

Trixie

She read it over. A few tears splashed onto the page but Trixie did not re-write it. She folded the letter and put it in an envelope. Trixie finished her latte and went out to her car. She drove toward Speed's house, but parked a block away. She walked the rest of the way. Once there, she opened the mail box and placed her letter to Mrs. Racer in the box. It would be found later. Then she drove over to the track. No one would be there right now, so she did not worry about running into Speed. She parked her car by the Go Team garage and went in. She left her keys on Pops' desk then went over to Speed's locker. She opened it, and placed the letter in his helmet.

Trixie looked around one last time. She had spent so much of her life here. It was crushing her to know she would never be back. There was still time to back out, they'd never know. She could call the moving van back, and take back the letters. Trixie looked at a picture of Speed, sitting in a car surrounded by women he didn't know, and strengthened her resolve. She loved him. But she had to do this for herself. It might break her heart, but she had to stop torturing herself by being so close to someone who would never love her. She wanted more, and he could not give it to her. She did not blame him.

Brushing tears away, Trixie walked out of the garage and strode to her chopper. She looked around, and then turned the ignition. A moment later, the copter soared into the air. Trixie looked ahead and flew off into the night.

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Speed drove to the track and was surprised to see Trixie's car parked by the garage. "Trix?" he called, but she didn't answer. He shrugged as he walked in and saw Pops going through some tools with Sparky.

"Speed, you haven't seen the lugwrench have you?"

"No," Speed said. "Have you seen Trixie?"

Pops shrugged. "No. You expecting her this early?"

"I wasn't, but I saw her car, so I was just wondering."

"Before you get on the track, I want to go over the engine with Sparky."

Speed nodded. "I'll go get changed," he said and walked to the locker to get his racing gear. He opened his locker and saw a letter in his helmet.

Speed opened it and read it. The first time he read it, what she said didn't make sense. Then he read it again, and it was like she had punched him in the gut. He slowly sat down on a nearby chair. He read it again, and thought back to their time. Trixie was always there, always proud of him. And he remembered how he had been. He could see the hurt he had overlooked, and she had quickly masked.

Trixie had been his constant. He relied on her. She was his rock, and his anchor. She kept him grounded. He felt like the ground had fallen from beneath him.

"Pops?" Speed said weakly.

Pops came over. "Speed, what's wrong? You look awful."

Speed looked up at him.

"Speed? Are you all right? Son, you're worrying me," Pops said as he looked at the shocked face of Speed. He had been fine just a few minutes ago, and now. "I don't think you need to be driving."

Speed handed him the letter. "It's from Trixie," he whispered. He looked desperately at his father.

Pops read it over, then looked at Speed. He sat down next to his son. "Speed, I'm going to ask you one question, and you better think hard before you answer it. Okay?"

Speed nodded.

"Do you love her?"

Speed nodded. "I do, Pops. I do."

Pops frowned. "Well, I think I see what she's saying. I'm not saying you ignored her all the time, but how many times have you overlooked Trixie in favor of your female fans?"

"I know, Pops." Speed looked away. "I've been such an idiot."

"You have, son."

"What am I going to do?" Speed asked.

"You're going to talk to her," Pops said.

"What do I say?"

"I don't know," Pops said. "I do know that if you're going to prove to her that she's wrong, you better figure it out and fast." Pops looked at him very seriously. "But if you don't really love her, really believe she is wrong about how you feel about her, really feel for her everything she wished you did, then leave her be. You have broken her heart, whether you meant to or not."

Speed nodded. Just then the phone rang and Pops answered. "Yeah. I know." He paused and listened. "She was a little more detailed in her explanation to Speed."

"Who is that?"

"Mom. Turns out Trixie wrote a very cryptic note to us too, thanking us for letting her be a part of the family and telling us good bye." Pops frowned. "Your mother is very upset."

Speed nodded. "I hope you don't mind, Pops, but I don't think I want to race today. I'm going to go to Trixie's."

Pops nodded. Speed stood up. For the first time, he noticed the keys on the desk. Trixie's keys to the Go Team garage. He looked out again, puzzled by Trixie's car. Why was it here? How had she gotten home without her car? He noticed that the key ring also had her car key, and the key to the hangar where she kept her chopper. Speed took off running to the hangar. He opened the bay and saw it was empty, as if she'd never been there. Her chopper was gone.

Trixie took her chopper, not her car. That was really odd. Maybe she moved it to another hangar, so she wouldn't see him. Speed ran to the Mach 5 and drove over to Trixie's apartment complex. He pounded on her door, but there was no answer. He had a very bad feeling, as he forced himself to walk to the side and look in a window. The apartment was completely empty. How had he not noticed she had packed up her life? He really had been that blind when it came to her.

She couldn't have moved without help, a moving van, a friend, someone. Speed went to the management office to see if Trixie had left a forwarding address, only to be told that it was private and they would not release it.

"What about the moving company? Can you tell me who she used?" he asked.

"There have been a couple of moving trucks here this past week, who is to say which one was hers," the manager said.

Speed growled in frustration, but left the office.

Looking around, he saw a couple of kids playing near Trixie's place. Speed went over to them.

"Hi," he said.

One of them, a little girl in a pink play suit, frowned at him. "We're not appost ta talk to strangers," she said.

"Jiffy, he's not a stranger. He comes over and visits Miss Trixie a lot. You've seen him," the boy said.

Jiffy looked at him suspiciously. "Are you the one with the car?"

Speed nodded. "Yeah, and I'm looking for Miss Trixie."

"She left. I liked her. She would push us on the swings a lot, and wasn't afraid to push high," Jiffy said.

"Do you know where she went?"

Jiffy and the boy both shrugged. The boy said, "But a big yellow truck was here yesterday. The one with the green couch on the side." He frowned at Speed. "And Miss Trixie was crying as they took her stuff."

Speed frowned. "Thank you."

"Are you going to bring Miss Trixie back?" Jiffy asked.

Speed looked at her seriously. "I sure am going to try."

He got into his car and drove back to the track.

"Well?" Pops said.

"She moved. Her apartment's empty," Speed said.

"Trixie moved?" Sparky asked. "I mean, sure, I had a feeling she was unhappy, but I can't believe she'd just move."

Speed turned to him. "Unhappy?" He had been so oblivious about her feelings, never realizing how much he was hurting her.

Sparky frowned. "Sure, Speed. I mean, I know she loved everything about racing, but those fans of yours really knew how to make her doubt whether she belonged here. I tried to tell her that they were nothing, but… well, you knew how insecure she was, right?"

Speed shook his head. "Not really." He had never noticed her feelings about those things, not at the time. But thinking back, having read her letter and hearing Sparky talk, he should have. But he had been so confident in himself that he had not noticed her doubts. And she had not ever told him.. She probably thought he would ditch her for someone who was less demanding.

As if Trixie was ever demanding. He thought back to the times he had cancelled their plans at the last minute – like when Inspector Detector had asked for his help, or when he met a beautiful girl who needed help. The first few times, she'd gotten upset and tried to change his mind, ask him to help the inspector later or let someone else help. But he refused. After a while, she would just accept it without a word. As if she realized that what she wanted was nothing to him.

Speed frowned. "I've been such an idiot," he said.

Sparky nodded.

Speed glared at him. "You're supposed to be my friend, Spark."

Sparky shrugged. "Let's face it, you took Trixie for granted a lot."

"I know that now," he snapped. "Why didn't you tell me then?"

Sparky looked at him, "I shouldn't have had to."

Sparky had him there. He shouldn't have had to tell Speed that he was being a jerk to Trixie. And as he turned away Speed knew something else. If Sparky had told him that, Speed would not have believed him. "I have to find her and apologize."

Sparky cleared his throat. "Speed, don't you think you've hurt her enough?"

"I'm not going to hurt her," Speed said.

"I'm not saying you'll mean to. But, well, if you're not going to give her what she needs, then let her go."

"Don't you want her back here?" Speed demanded.

"Sure I do! But Speed, you've got a lot of thinking before you find her, because you're going to have to change for her. A lot. I am sure she'd come back if you asked her to and never complain. But if you're going to ask her to give up her chance for happiness without you, you better make damn sure you're going to make her happy here."

Speed frowned at him.

Sparky looked at him as if weighing whether he should say the next statement. "Speed, I'd give anything to have a girl who worshipped me as much as Trixie does you. And she was like that before you became a famous racer. She has always been encouraging you. When have you ever encouraged her dreams?"

Speed was taken aback. What were Trixie's dreams? Could he even answer that if he had to?

"Last month, when you won the Darkwind 800, Trixie raced to the finish line to congratulate you, and a there were a lot of your fans there too. I saw what happened, did you?" Sparky asked him.

Speed shook his head. It had been a bit overwhelming. There were so many people surrounding him, and he had thought Trixie would be one of them. He remembered seeing her near the Mach 5 at first, and then walking away from it a few minutes later. He had not seen her again after that race until the next day. He'd been a little angry at her over that, even asking her rather irately where she had been. Speed remembered her rubbing her wrist rather nervously, and blinking away tears. But she'd offered no explanation.

Sparky shrugged. "Speed, she was the first one to that car, but everyone surrounding that car shoved her back. One of them pushed her to the ground and she had to fight to get out of the crowd before she got trampled too badly. I asked her where she went, before you got in that next day. She said she had to go get her wrist looked at since she got kicked trying to get away." He looked at Speed. "You could have reached into the crowd and pulled her up. She'd have been with you, and safe. Instead, you didn't even acknowledge her and left her to fend for herself amongst the wolves. " His friend was not holding back. "I've overheard some of the things that your fans say to Trixie. Do you think they don't know her? They see her everywhere with us, and they know how she feels about you. They've told her that it's obvious you don't love her and they've told her she shouldn't be there. She's too plain for a star racer like you. I've tried to tell her that they are wrong, but it gets to her. Each time, it gets to her more, and I know she doesn't believe a word I say anymore when I tell her they are wrong. She has put up with a lot of bullying from the girls who are jealous of her, because she knows you better than any of them ever will. Are you going to protect her from that?"

Speed was reeling. First Trixie left him, and now his best friend was telling him how horribly he had treated her, that she had been hurt after one of his races, and bullied by his fans. He had known none of that. And he could not argue with what he was being told. That was the worst part of it. He had been a horrible boyfriend. Trixie had been the ideal girlfriend, and he had thoughtlessly taken advantage of the situation.

"I can't help what my fans do. But I can make sure she knows how I feel," Speed said. "I'm going to find her."

"That's fine, son, but you have a race on Saturday," Pops said.

"I'm not racing again until I find Trixie," Speed said. "And I convince her that she was wrong. I need to make her my priority, drop everything for her for once." He looked at Sparky. "If she doesn't want to come back and give me another chance I'll accept that. But I want her to know how much she means to me. Will you help me?"

Sparky looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, but if you break her heart, I'm going to kick your butt."

Speed smiled. "Sounds fair." He looked at Sparky. "Did you know?"

"No. She used to talk to me, a little, but lately she's been pretty quiet." He frowned. "How did Trixie pack up an entire apartment without you knowing? You've been dating her!"

"She told me her place was a mess, so I haven't been inside in about a month." About a month, where she was more pensive than normal, quieter. She had been withdrawn. Speed had asked her what was wrong, and now he knew. She'd come to a painful decision. She had decided to leave him.

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	2. Chapter 2

Trixie landed her chopper at the new hangar. She had chosen her new apartment because she could walk to the hangar. As she had a new job as a chopper traffic reporter, she would not have to drive to work…she would fly there. The moving van would not be here for a couple of days, so her first priority was to get a car and get into the apartment. She looked around the hangar. It looked like the one back home.

No, that wasn't home any more. This was. The sooner she accepted that, the sooner she'd move on from her old life.

She walked over to the apartment complex and picked up her key from the manager. Trixie had not actually seen the inside of the unit she had chosen yet. She walked over to the unit and looked around, setting her suitcase down in the living room. It was a lot different than what she was used to. She walked out onto her balcony and could see the air field.

"Time to start over," Trixie said softly. Then she went to the apartment office and asked to use the phone to call for a cab.

Three hours later, Trixie drove back to the field in an emerald green convertible. The car was not new, but it was in good shape. Besides, thanks to her experience with the Go Team, Trixie could take care of most of the repair requirements herself.

As she pulled up to the hangar, she wondered if she had made a mistake. Still, deep down, she knew it was not.

Her job would start in a week. Actually, she was really excited about the new job. She had gotten a lot of experience while spotting for Speed. She started to study maps for the area. After she'd done so, she called the tower and arranged clearance for a flight over the city. She wanted to familiarize herself with how it looked from above.

And the station wanted her to come up with an On Air name. She was thinking about Traffic Trixie or Trixie with the Traffic or Trixie with your Tricky Traffic, but had not settled on either yet.

As she was flying over, Trixie noticed an accident on one of the bigger streets. A quick check on the map told her what it was. She radioed it in to emergency services. That was something else she could do. Trixie was the market's first sky reporter, and she really was very excited.

It was a great opportunity. Trixie found herself wishing she could tell Speed and share it with him. Then she stopped. She knew what he'd say, "Gee, Trix. That's great! But what about the race of the month? I need you to spot for me. Will you be able to get off?"

And she'd make it happen. His career, his needs, were always more important. Why was she such a fool for him? Even now, she knew that if Speed walked into her hangar and asked her to come home, she would.

"Get it together, Trixie. This is your time," she told herself sternly, forcing herself to focus. Trixie flew the chopper towards the hangar. She landed and did her post flight check before going to her car. It was time for dinner.

After dinner, Trixie went to a pay phone. Speed shouldn't be home, and she really wanted to talk to Mom and apologize. She dialed the number, and waited for an answer.

"Racer Residence, Spritle Speaking!"

Trixie quickly hung up.

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Speed poked at his dinner. He had no clue where to start looking for her.

"You gonna eat that?" Spritle asked as he came back to the table.

Speed looked at him, shrugged, and passed his plate to the younger Racer.

Mom looked at him and frowned. She had also read Trixie's letter to him. While she couldn't blame the young woman, Mom couldn't help but realize that Trixie had been very wrong. Speed looked very unfocused. She did hope that if Speed found Trixie, he could convince her to come back. And that he'd actually make the changes she needed. Mom actually respected that Trixie didn't ask that he change for her. Still, Speed should not have needed her to ask.

Mom didn't really think either of them realized how much Trixie had meant to Speed, until she was gone.

"Why?" Speed asked. "She should have been able to talk to me," he said.

Mom shrugged. "Speed, that girl thinks you are the epitome of perfection. So if something was wrong, it was obviously wrong with her – not you."

"What's wrong?" Spritle asked.

"Trixie left," Speed said dully.

"Why would she do that?" Spritle asked.

Speed stood up and walked to the kitchen door, "Because I made her feel like I didn't care about her," he said.

"But that's not true!" Spritle exclaimed. "Girls are silly."

Speed nodded. But he did not believe that Trixie had been silly. He had never intended to hurt her, but he had never thought about how his actions must look to her. "Yeah. But I'll just have to make her understand it right. If I can find her."

"I bet she's doing something with her helicopter. Trixie's a great pilot, so it would be a shame if she stopped flying just because she isn't spotting for you. I'm sure she's still spotting something."

Speed nodded. She probably was. He started to think. What job would Trixie go after, if she left the racing world. Speed smiled. Traffic spotting. She had so much experience on the race circuit, that flying over a city and reporting on the traffic would be a cinch.

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Trixie entered the television station office, and walked to the receptionist. "I have a 2 o'clock appointment with Dick Lively," she said.

"What's your name?"

"Trixie Shimura," she replied.

The receptionist smiled. "You're the new traffic reporter, right?"

Trixie nodded. "Yeah that's me."

"That is so cool. I was excited when the station announced we were going to get one, but then they announced it was a lady pilot, and wow. That was just amazing."

Trixie smiled. "What's your name?"

"Robin Carson," she answered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Robin. Maybe after I get settled in, I can take you up?"

"Oh that would be amazing! I've never flown before."

"Not even in an airplane?"

Robin shook her head.

"Then I definitely need to take you up."

Robin smiled. "Let me let Mr. Lively know you're here."

Trixie nodded and Robin paged her new boss. A few moments later, a tall gentleman with blond hair and grey eyes approached. "Trixie Shimura?"

She nodded.

"Dick Lively. Pleasure to meet you. Come on and I'll show you around the station. Your cameraman is Joe Deforest, and he'll be in later." Trixie nodded and followed Dick as he took her on the grand tour.

After Trixie's tour, she went back and made arrangements to meet Robin after work on Friday for a night flight over Harperstown.

"Hey, Trixie, I have a friend that might like to come. Afterwards, we can go out for dinner, and get to know each other," Robin said.

Trixie smiled. "That would be really great. I do need to meet some people here."

"Where did you move from?"

Trixie shrugged, "California."

"Wow. Well it's a bit different here. No beaches."

Trixie nodded. "But you have some lovely mountains and forests."

"That's true! I really hope you'll like Claudia."

"Me too, I'm looking forward to this!" Trixie left feeling better about her move. She had been rather lonely since she got here. None of the apartment occupants were outgoing, so she had yet to meet a single neighbor. She'd discovered that the pilots at the airport were dismayed at the idea of a woman flying a chopper, and wanted nothing to do with her. So she had really hoped that she could find someone at work with whom she clicked. Robin seemed very nice and outgoing.

Monday would be the first of the traffic reports, but the rest of this week was about promotions and marketing. Trixie had to get wardrobe for flying approved, and the outfits had to be things she would be able to comfortably fly the chopper, and camera friendly. She got introduced to her make up team. The first time she looked in the mirror after they had finished her hair and make up, Trixie had not even recognized herself. She had always preferred a much more natural look. And she had taken that up with Dick Lively. She was a pilot, not a pin up. They could take her as she was – or she would walk.

That had been a terrifying threat, because she did not want to walk. However, Dick had agreed. Enough makeup so that the camera would not wash her out but natural application. And hair was a waste of time due to the headgear she needed for the chopper.

Finally, Friday came, and Trixie headed to the chopper to do the final pre-flight checks before Robin and her friend Claudia arrived.

When Trixie turned around and saw Robin approaching, she smiled. At first. Then she saw Claudia. Claudia looked like one of Speed's fans. The one who had constantly pulled her from the front and pushed her back. The one she was certain had kicked her wrist. Trixie shook her head. Just because Robin's friend reminded her of Speed's fan was no reason to hold that against the woman.

"Hey Trixie!" Robin said happily. "I'd like you to meet Claudia."

Trixie smiled. "Hello, Claudia."

"If it isn't Pixie Trixie, Speed Racer's pet mouse. So where is that gorgeous man? I know you never let him far out of your sight," Claudia asked, her voice dripping with venom.

Robin looked at her in shock.

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "We're not together anymore." Apparently, Claudia didn't just look like her tormentor.

"Finally tired of you did he? Realized he could do much better than someone like you?" Claudia asked with a smile.

Robin was horrified with her friend and tried to apologize. Trixie forced a smile. "Something like that." She looked at Robin. "I'm really sorry, Robin. I meant to tell you earlier that something came up, and I won't be able to join you tonight. I do hope you'll have a pleasant evening." She jumped in the chopper and took off, not even waiting for Claudia and Robin to step back.

"What the hell was that?!" Robin demanded of Claudia.

Claudia glared at her. "That woman has been keeping me from getting near Speed Racer for the past three years!"

"You mean, she was his girlfriend, and you were trying to get rid of her, don't you, Claudia?"

"Whatever. You've seen her. She's plain Jane and totally not worthy of such a stud as he is," Claudia answered.

Robin frowned and stormed off. Claudia rolled her eyes and followed.

By the time Trixie got back to the airfield, she was in tears. She had so wanted to start a new life here. But it was obvious now that was not possible. No matter where she went, Speed's fans would know who she was. She thought that if she was not at the track, if she wasn't where he was, then they wouldn't care about her. She was wrong.

Maybe Speed didn't treat her the way she wished he would. Maybe he ignored her. But he was never intentionally cruel to her. Maybe she didn't deserve to be treated better. Maybe she was not worth that. As Trixie walked back to her apartment, she could not help but thing she had made a huge mistake. She had never felt so alone.

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Speed dialed another number for yet another station. This one was in Arkansas. He waited for the station to pick up, and was surprised to get a promo message. "Thank you for calling KLNX, your home for the most trusted news in Harperstown, with news anchors Thomas Boson and Monique Duboise, weather with Karl Douglas and, starting Monday, our eye in the sky, Trixie with your Tricky Traffic!"

Speed shouted gleefully as he hung up, "Yes!"

Mom came running. "What dear?"

"She's in Harperstown, Arkansas."

"How do you know?"

"The station promo. She's a traffic reporter. In the middle of nowhere," Speed said.

Mom looked at him. "Do be careful, she's got a new job. She may not be able to leave it."

Speed nodded. "If she'll take me back, I may move."

"Don't be so hasty, Speed."

"No, I mean it. I can't expect her to drop her life for me."

"So you're going to drop yours for her?" Mom said. "You know what your father will say."

Speed shrugged. "I'm not going to give up racing. But I can do practice laps anywhere, and come home close to races to make sure that the Mach 5 is in top condition. I'll make it work, Mom. If she'll let me. But she deserves to know that I'm sorry."

Speed ran up to his room to pack a bag for the drive. It would take him a while to drive there. As soon as he finished, he drove to the track to tell Sparky the news. Sparky had said he'd help Speed, and Speed intended to hold his best friend to that promise.

"Found her!"

Sparky smiled. "Well, if you found her you do deserve a chance to talk to her. Where is she?"

"Arkansas."

"What is she doing there?" Sparky asked.

"Starting tomorrow, she's going to be a traffic reporter."

Sparky nodded. "She'd be great at that!"

"I want to leave first thing in the morning. Will you still come?"

Sparky smiled. "Course I'll come. If you can't convince her to come home, it might be my only chance to tell her good bye," he said.

"I'm going to convince her, Sparky. I have to," Speed said. "Can we take your car?"

"Why?"

"The Mach 5 is a little conspicuous," Speed said.

Sparky nodded. "Okay, but I'm driving."

Speed nodded.

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

Trixie climbed into the cockpit of her chopper and Joe joined her. "You ready?" he asked.

She nodded. "As I'll ever be. I've never been an on air reporter. I hope I'll do okay."

Joe smiled. "You're going to do great. Just tell what you see. The viewers know you're flying and your job is totally non-scripted. They won't expect you to have polished delivery. Just speak clearly. My job is to mostly show the traffic itself, so try to make sure that the traffic is visible on my side of the chopper."

Trixie smiled. "Thanks, Joe. I appreciate it. How many times have you flown in a chopper?"

"Counting today?"

"Yeah!"

"Once," he said.

Trixie laughed. "Okay, so we're both pretty new. I'll try to keep it pretty level for you."

"Roger that!" he said. "I really am excited about this."

Trixie took them up and she got to the main area of the traffic. Joe looked at her. "You're on!" he said.

"Thanks, Thomas! And a good evening to you, Harperstown, I'm Trixie with your Tricky Traffic, up here with your eye in the sky, Joe Deforest. Traffic is flowing very steady through down town, with the usual slowdowns. The construction zones are moving steadily. Over on Lincoln Springs Blvd, there is a minor accident. It's been moved to the side, but onlooker activity is causing a slowdown. Be careful out there folks, and remember drive safely! We want to see you all tomorrow! Back to you!"

Joe nodded to let her know they were off for now. She would have three more small traffic segments, unless she saw a major traffic incident. If that happened, Joe would notify the station, and the news would break in. Her traffic reports were also broadcast vocally over KLNX's sister radio station, 99.8 the Linx.

"That was great, Trixie!" Joe said. "You're a natural."

Trixie smiled. "Thank you, Joe."

"So, what's your story?" he asked.

"My story?" Trixie asked, confused.

"Sure, we're going to be spending a lot of time in the air together. I'd like to get to know you," Joe said.

Trixie shrugged. "Why don't you tell me about yourself first?"

"Ah, new girl syndrome," Joe said. "Fair enough. Well, I'm married. Two kids, one girl, one boy. My daughter was thrilled when she found out we had a woman piloting a helicopter. She's a bit of a tom boy, so don't be surprised if she wants to come with us on 'take your daughter to work day'."

"How old?" Trixie asked with a grin.

"My daughter, Nicole, is eight, and my son, Cody, is six. Jennie and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year."

"That's wonderful! And I don't mind if Nicole wants to come. If you want I can take you and your family up sometime."

"No kidding?"

"I don't mind. I actually love flying." Trixie frowned. "There's an accident over there. Just happened," she said suddenly. "Looks like it's on the Fulton Bridge."

Joe nodded. He called the station, while Trixie notified emergency personnel and turned the helicopter towards the accident. "They'll play this segment in a few minutes but I'll get it recorded." As soon as they were within distance Joe focused the camera and started recording.

"Trixie with your Tricky Traffic. A five-car accident has just happened on the northbound side of the Fulton Bridge. If this is on your way home and you can take an alternate route, you might want to redirect your travel plans to the Tyler Bridge, where the roads are clear. Emergency personnel are on the way, so be sure to give them plenty of room. Elsewhere, roads are flowing smoothly."

"And clear," Joe said.

Trixie nodded. She contacted EMS to let them know that if they needed her to help transport anyone to the hospital, she was available. They thanked her but told her it would not be necessary.

Joe looked at her in surprise.

"If we ever do that, please don't film it," Trixie said.

"Of course. Have you done that before?"

"I've been a race spotter. I'm used to being the fastest way clear in some of the areas the races are."

"Race spotter? How did you get into that?" he asked.

"My boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. He is a race car driver, and I was his spotter."

Joe looked at her. "Fresh break up?"

Trixie looked away and blinked her eyes a few times to cover up the tears before nodding.

"I'm sorry. You're doing great here, by the way."

"Thank you," Trixie said softly. They finished their shift in the air and Trixie flew back to the station to drop Joe off. Then she flew to her airfield, and walked home.

It had been a fairly long shift, but she'd done longer. And her partner was pretty pleasant. She had a feeling that they'd get along pretty well.


	3. Chapter 3

Speed and Sparky spent the night in some small town and hit the road. Speed flipped the channel to 99.8 as soon as he got within an hour of Harperstown. The music was pretty standard, but finally, the DJ said, "And now it's time to check in with Trixie for your Tricky Traffic!"

Speed turned it up. He listened to her broadcasting the traffic.

"She's great at that, Speed," Sparky said.

"She is. Sounds almost like she's been doing this forever," Speed said softly. "She sounds happy."

Sparky looked at him. "Speed, she's on the air. That's her on air voice. It doesn't mean she doesn't miss you."

Speed nodded as Sparky drove into town and to the hotel they had booked earlier. As they got out of the car, Sparky pointed. "There she is!"

Speed stood up and watched.

"So, how do you plan on doing this?" Sparky asked.

"Haven't quite figured that out yet," Speed said.

Sparky looked at him and chuckled. "You spent a week looking for her and two days riding here, and you haven't figured out how you are going to talk to her?"

Speed nodded. "Spark, I only get one chance. It has to be perfect."

"Well, we could start by figuring out her schedule. That shouldn't be too hard," Sparky said. "We know when she's on air, so now we just have to find out what she does when she isn't. We can be like spies."

"You mean, stalkers," Speed said.

"Well, I was trying to put it in a less creepy way, but yeah," Sparky said with a laugh.

"Okay, so we drive around and see if we can't spot her. We'll start near the station. But first, let's get checked in."

Speed nodded. "Sparky, thanks for being here."

"No problem, Speed," Sparky said. If Speed didn't convince Trixie to take him back, Sparky knew he didn't want his friend driving home alone.

The duo got checked in, and turned on the news. Speed smiled as he watched the traffic reports. She was doing great. Speed had a goofy expression on his face and Sparky resisted the urge to tease him about it.

The next morning, Speed and Sparky got out and started to drive around town. Speed nudged Sparky's arm in the afternoon when he caught Trixie leaving the station. She walked down to a coffee shop, and went in. "You want to go in, Speed?" Sparky asked.

"No. Not yet," Speed said, suddenly nervous.

Sparky shrugged. Then he parked the car and watched the coffee shop. She came out about 45 minutes later and went back to the station. She didn't come back out. At the end of her shift, she flew her chopper off, and Sparky followed it as best as he could. "Looks like there's an airfield over there," Speed pointed out.

Sparky turned in and they looked around until they found the hangar where Trixie's chopper was stored. Speed pointed. "There's an apartment complex right there. I bet she's living there."

"I bet you're right, but you can't go knocking on every door until you find her."

Speed nodded.

"Let's head back to the hotel," Sparky said.

The next day, they followed the same routine, and waited as Trixie once again went to the same coffee shop. Speed had dressed in an outfit unlike his normal. He nodded to Sparky, and got out and walked into the coffee shop. In his green shirt and black pants, with sunglasses on, Trixie probably wouldn't recognize him. She wouldn't be looking for him, so it would be easy to watch her and see how she was doing. If she seemed genuinely happy, Speed didn't want to disturb her.

Speed ordered a coffee and sat down with a paper, and watched her. He frowned. She didn't look happy. She was unguarded, and she looked sad, lost in her thoughts. Trixie had ordered a small sandwich, and he noticed that she barely touched it. Speed noticed she had lost some weight, and seemed to be subsisting on coffee.

She got up and left. Speed ordered two more coffees and took them out to the car. He gave Sparky one.

"You talk to her?"

Speed shook his head. "No. She looked really fragile, Sparky. I don't know how she's going to react to me showing up," he said sadly.

Sparky frowned.

"I'll figure it out," Speed said.

"Same plan tomorrow?"

Speed nodded.

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

At the end of her first week, Trixie had fallen into a routine. She'd get to the station just before lunch and go to the coffee shop. Then she'd come back and go to a staff meeting regarding the nightly news report. However, on Friday, the station manager, Dick Lively had requested that she come into his office for a private meeting after she was finished with her report. Trixie didn't know what it was about and was a little nervous.

"Ah, Trixie, please have a seat," he said as she walked in.

Trixie sat down.

"I don't know how to say this, but we've been getting a lot of complaints about the traffic."

"Complaints?" Trixie was confused.

"Yes. I'm not certain why either, as I've reviewed the tapes. You really have been doing a stellar job. I don't see what is driving the complaints."

Trixie nodded. "What would you like me to do about it, sir?"

"I don't know. Your reports have been professional and very informative. I cannot determine if it is just a matter of your on-air personality is not meshing with our viewing audience or if there is something else going on. Unfortunately, our general manager is reviewing the complaints and will let me know on Monday. I must warn you, he is seriously considering cancelling your contract."

Trixie nodded. "I understand," she said softly.

Dick Lively shrugged. "Considering the number of complaints, it would not surprise me. It depends on how tonight's show went, and whether we get some positive feedback."

"Thank you," Trixie said softly.

"If we do, I will give you a strong recommendation. It could just be that our market is not ready for a female traffic reporter." He frowned. "Trixie, you've done a great job, this really isn't a reflection on your performance."

Trixie nodded. She went upstairs to her copter and sat in the cockpit for a while before flying off.

She barely kept her composure while she flew and landed rather harder than normal. Then she ran to her apartment.

She didn't even notice the brown car that she ran past.

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"What the hell?" Speed asked.

"I don't know," Sparky said.

Speed got out of the car and ran following Trixie. He didn't know what he would say when he caught up to her. But he didn't catch her. He saw where she was living, though, as she had run to an apartment and slammed the door behind her.

Speed walked back to Sparky. "For some reason, I don't think Trixie is happy here either."

Sparky nodded. "That would be an understatement. Speed, that's all the more reason to be very careful here."

"I know."

Sparky looked at the chopper. "She didn't even put the chopper away."

Speed frowned. "She's never done that." He looked at the chopper. "Sparky, would you mind keeping an eye on the chopper? I want to at least go look in on her, make sure she's okay." He was really worried about her.

Sparky nodded. It was going to be a long night. Trixie might not know it, but she had two guardian angels watching over her tonight.

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

The next morning, Trixie drove over to the airfield in a daze. She couldn't believe that she had left her chopper out the night before. That was about the most stupid thing she had done.

She looked over the chopper to make sure that there had been no damage. Trixie didn't notice Sparky and Speed watching her.

After she was sure it was safe, Trixie moved the chopper into the hangar and locked it up. Then she went to her car and drove to town. She parked a block away from the coffee shop, and went in.

"Hey Trixie, wasn't expecting to see you here today," Candy said.

Trixie shrugged. "I'm addicted to your coffee, what can I say?" she said sadly.

"You look like you had a rough night, want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Trixie said.

Candy handed her a coffee and a cinnamon scone.

"I didn't order a scone."

"I know, but you look like you need it," Candy said.

"Thank you," Trixie whispered. She moved to the back of the coffee shop and took a seat.

She didn't see Speed enter the coffee shop with Sparky. They ordered a coffee and sat nearby.

Trixie did notice, however, when a tall blonde woman walked in with a shorter brunette. She practically flinched. Speed looked over to the woman and didn't recognize her. Sparky shrugged.

"If it isn't Speed Racer's pet mouse," she said walking up to Trixie with confidence. "Hey mousie mouse, how's your new job going?" Claudia said with a sneer. "As if I didn't know."

"Claudia, why don't you just leave me alone?" Trixie said.

"Why should I?" Claudia said.

"What did I do to you?"

Speed watched this interchange with shock. Clearly, Claudia was one of his fans.

"Claudia, this isn't necessary," the other woman said. "Leave her alone.

"Robin, shut it."

"No, this is ridiculous, Trixie has done nothing to you. You're just jealous," Robin said.

"So what if I am? But she won't be here long, will you, mouse?"

"Stop it, Claudia. Trixie, don't listen to her."

Trixie stared at Claudia for just a moment before getting up and walking past them. Claudia grabbed her arm as she passed by. "Don't think it will be better in another town, mouse," Claudia whispered.

Trixie looked at her in shock, tears glistening in her eyes. Then she jerked her arm away and ran out. Speed glared and stood up. He took his sunglasses off.

"Speed Racer!" Claudia exclaimed.

He stared at her. "You are not welcome at any more of my races. If I see you, I will have security remove you," he said softly. Then he walked out, followed by Sparky.

As he did, he overheard Robin say assertively, "Claudia, you're no longer my friend." She followed behind them.

"Mr. Racer?"

Speed turned and glared at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect her to behave like that. I didn't know Trixie would be here this morning."

Speed nodded. "Do you know where Trixie might have gone?"

"I don't know, but the rumor around the station is that there have been a lot of complaints and she's going to get fired. She doesn't deserve that. She has done a really great job!"

Sparky frowned. "Pretty sure I can guess who is behind that."

Speed looked at Sparky. "I need to talk to her."

Sparky nodded. They got into Sparky's car and took off toward Trixie's apartment.

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

"Sparky stop!" Speed shouted as they got out of the main area and into a wooded part of road. Sparky slammed on the brakes. Speed jumped out of the car and ran off into the woods, following a set of tire tracks in the grass. Sparky parked the car and followed him.

"Trixie!" Speed shouted as he came upon the wreck of her green convertible. He had been afraid of this. She had been terribly upset when she left. The convertible was wrapped around a tree, totaled. He was terrified as he saw the wreck.

As Speed got closer could see the blood on the smashed windshield, but when he got there, the car was empty. There was blood all over the driver's side, and the door has been opened. Speed frowned. Why had she left the car?

Sparky joined him. "Where is she?" Speed shook his head. Then they both started looking. "Trixie!" Speed shouted. In the opposite direction, Sparky was also calling for her. About a thousand yards from the car, Speed found her. He shouted to Sparky, then ran to Trixie. She was propped up against a tree. There was a large, bloody cut across her forehead. He saw that her left leg was at an odd angle, and that her pant leg was cut pretty badly.

"Trixie!" Speed said urgently as he knelt beside her.

Trixie turned her head towards him and looked in him at confusion. Her eyes were unfocused, but she smiled as she saw him. "Speed," she whispered.

Speed forced as smile as he looked at her. "I'm here," he said softly, looking her over as he tried to see what other injuries she might have.

"I am glad I get to see you again," she said very softly. "Even if you're not really here."

Sparky came up behind them and took it in. "Speed, I'll go clear the back seat so she can lay down. We've got to get her to a doctor."

Speed nodded. "I know." He was trying to decide how best to lift her without hurting her more.

"I am here, Trixie."

She was confused. "Can't be," she said. Trixie closed her eyes.

"Hey, look at me, Trixie."

Trixie opened her eyes and stared at him.

"I had to tell you that you were wrong, Trixie. About everything."

Trixie looked down and shook her head.

Speed leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Yes, you were. But I can't blame you for feeling that way, I was pretty blind."

"No," Trixie said. "You're wonderful."

Trixie shook her head. Trixie shrugged, and Speed could tell she didn't believe he was here at all. "I can't do anything right. They're going to fire me. I tried so hard."

Speed could barely hear what she was saying. He smiled at her. "You were wonderful. You really were. If they fire you, it's their loss. I saw your broadcasts, Trixie. I listened to you. You were amazing. Did you like doing it?"

"I loved it, but it doesn't matter anymore," Trixie said.

"Will you come back with us?" Speed asked. "Our television station could certainly benefit from traffic reporting, and I'm sure you could get a job there."

Trixie shook her head. "It doesn't matter how I do. They aren't going to let me succeed."

"Who isn't?" Speed asked, knowing the answer.

"Your fans. This is for the best," she said. "No one will miss me. Better this way." She smiled softly and closed her eyes again.

Speed's blood ran cold at her statement. "Trixie, was this an accident?" he asked her urgently. He looked towards the wreck again. Trixie was a great driver. For her to lose control to the degree of this wreck, no matter how emotionally distraught she was, there had to be something dreadfully wrong with the car.

"At least I got to see you again, even if you're not here," she said softly.

"Trixie, I am here. Look at me," Speed said urgently, turning her face back to him. "Look at me, baby, please."

Trixie looked at him. He took her hand and pressed it against his face. "Does this feel like an illusion to you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Speed has a race tomorrow; he wouldn't be here. Not for me."

Speed stared at her. Between his actions, and the way his fans had treated her, Trixie no longer believed she had any importance at all. "You are more important to me than a stupid race, Trixie."

Trixie just laughed mirthlessly. "'S'not true. Wish t'was, not." Her speech was beginning to slur, and she just seemed to want to sleep.

Speed looked at her a moment. She had to hear him and believe him. "Trixie, what you wrote in that letter? You were right about a lot of things. But you were wrong about how I feel about you. I didn't show it, I know. I should have told you, I should have shown you. I thought you knew – but I should have taken the time to make sure you knew you were as important to me as I was to you. I love you too, Trixie. And I'm not letting you out of my life without a fight."

Trixie was barely focusing on him. He frowned, "Trixie, look at me."

She tried.

"Do you believe me?"

"Want to," she said softly.

"Good. Because every word I said was true."

Speed picked her up and carried her towards Sparky's car. "Now, we're going to take you to the doctor. I'll be with you as much as I can," he whispered. "But if I'm not in the room with you, know this: I am waiting and I will come in as soon as I can. Okay?"

Trixie stared at him, "K," she whispered.

Speed smiled at her. "I'm not going anywhere, Trix." He got her settled in Sparky's car and they drove as quickly as they could to the hospital.

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-


	4. Chapter 4

Speed sat in the waiting area with Sparky. He watched the doors for the doctor or a nurse to let him know he could go back and see her. Physically, Speed was not really too worried about her. But in the two weeks since they had last spoken, Trixie had apparently had a really difficult time.

Sparky looked at him. "What happened?"

Speed shrugged. "It wasn't an accident, Spark," he said, softly.

Sparky looked at him in shock. "Say again, Speed."

"She drove into that tree intentionally," he said. "She tried to—" Speed couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Sparky shook his head. "No. I can't imagine Trixie doing that!"

Speed rubbed his face. "You know how good of a driver she is, Spark. And I asked her point blank. She didn't deny it."

"Why?"

Speed shrugged. "At a guess, she felt like she had nothing. And from what she said, something that that woman said made her think she'd never be able to keep any job she did get. I think she got overwhelmed and just couldn't take anymore." He looked at Sparky. "If we hadn't been there, she would have died. She didn't want to live. She didn't want to be found. I would have lost her." At the thought, Speed choked up.

Sparky didn't know what to say for a moment. "Well, we were there. You were there for her."

Just then, the doctor walked in. "Are you waiting for Trixie Shimura?"

Speed stood up, and Sparky followed suit. "How is she?"

"Broken right leg. It's a pretty standard break and we were able to set it. She has a serious concussion, and I want to keep her overnight for observation; however, I do expect that we'll be able to release her tomorrow."

"Can we go visit with her?" Speed asked.

"Certainly. Nurse Jackson?" A nurse came over. "Will you take these gentlemen to Ms. Shimura's room?"

She nodded. "Right this way," she said as she led them to Trixie's room.

"Thank you," Sparky said as Speed went right in.

Trixie had a bandage on her forehead and her leg in a cast. Speed walked over to her. "How are you doing?"

She looked at him, confused. "You're really here?"

Speed smiled. "Of course I am."

"Why? How did you find me?"

"It took him a week to find out where you were, Trixie. And two days to drive here, well, actually, I drove," Sparky said.

She looked at him.

"I missed you too, Trixie," Sparky said.

She frowned, "I'm sorry, Sparky."

"No need to apologize," Sparky said, smiling at her.

Speed sat down next to Trixie. "I'm here because I wanted to tell you some things. Will you let me?"

Trixie started to tear up. "If you're going to yell at me, please don't. I don't think I can take disappointing anyone else," she said in a small voice.

"No, Trixie. That's not what I wanted to tell you," Speed said softly. He looked at Sparky, who nodded and left, shutting the door behind him. Speed looked back at Trixie. "I do love you. I do think you're wonderful. I don't want to lose you. I've been an idiot, and I don't deserve you, but if you'll give me another chance, I'd like to see if I can make you as happy as you make me."

"You can't mean that," she said.

"Sure I do. I told you that earlier and I'll keep telling you, until you believe me. Will you please come home?" Speed asked.

Trixie looked at him, unsure.

The look in her eyes nearly broke his heart. It wasn't that she didn't believe him. It was that she didn't believe she deserved it. Speed resolved to help her build back up her self-esteem, which had been shredded, partly by him and partly by his fans, to the point where she could not accept that he wanted to be with her.

Speed looked at her, "You're brave, and smart, and beautiful. And I love you. "

She shook her head.

He grinned. "Are you saying I am a liar?"

"No!" Trixie said. "You'd never lie. You're too wonderful."

"Then you know I'm telling you the truth, right?"

Trixie looked confused. "Okay."

"How are you?" Speed asked.

Trixie just frowned. "You should have just left me," she said softly, then she turned away from him.

"Trix, you're scaring me," he said.

"I don't' know how to fix it."

Speed looked at her. "Fix what?"

"Any of it. I burned all my bridges back home, and moving out here took the last of my savings. Now I have no job, and no way of getting one. No way of getting back. A year lease on an apartment, that I can't afford anymore, and everyone out here hates me and I don't know what to do!" Trixie was starting to get hysterical.

Speed pulled her to him in a tight hug. "First of all, I don't hate you and I'm not going back home without you. So if we have to stay here a year, we will." He looked at her. "I want to see that contract, because I am sure there is something that we can use. Okay?"

Trixie just looked lost.

"Sweetheart, you need some rest," Speed said. "I'll be right here, okay?"

She nodded.

"Would you mind if Sparky went to your place and got your copy of that contract?"

"Okay."

She laid back down and Speed tucked her in, kissing her cheek. "I love you, Trix. We'll get through this. I know you don't know how right now." He smiled at her. "I promise you, I'm going to find a way to fix this."

"How?"

Speed smiled. "Right now, you let me worry about that. You focus on healing. Okay?"

Trixie shrugged.

Speed went over and opened the door. "Here are Trixie's keys. We need her employment contract."

Sparky looked at him. "Going to try to keep them from firing her?"

"No, I'm going to make them pay her enough severance to get her home and pay out her lease obligations," Speed said. "And if I can't do it by the contract, I'll threaten them with a PR nightmare unless they do." He frowned. He did this to her.

Sparky nodded. "I'll be right back.

Speed looked over at Trixie. One thing was certain, he was not leaving her alone, not until she was more stable. He just was not sure what he would tell the doctor. If Trixie knew he had told Sparky what happened, she would be embarrassed. But if he told the doctors, he was not sure what would happen. Still, if he could not help her by himself, he would not hesitate to ask for help.

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

About an hour later, Sparky returned with a copy of Trixie's contract. "She okay?"

"She's been resting," Speed said as they brought in Trixie's dinner. Both men frowned at the food. The orderly left it on her tray table, but didn't disturb her.

As soon as the orderly left, Sparky turned to Speed. "So, what shall I get us?"

Speed grinned. Soon Sparky was on his way to a local diner to get three of their best burgers, fries and pies.

Speed, meanwhile, started to read Trixie's contract. He smiled as he finished. Clearly outlined within the pages was a severance clause that indicated that if the station chose to break the contract for any reason other than cause, they were obligated to pay the full contract in a lump sum payment. Anonymous complaints should not count as 'cause', not when Trixie's on air performance had been stellar, and he knew she had not done anything at the office to cause problems. That was not her style. He decided that first thing Monday, he would go to the station with Trixie to talk about her severance package.

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

As soon as Sparky returned with the cheeseburgers, Speed woke Trixie up. He smiled at her. "Don't try to tell me you're not hungry," he whispered.

She looked over at the hospital food on the tray. "I'm not hungry."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want that either." He grinned. "But that's not what you're having." He moved the tray over to the counter and set down a bacon cheeseburger with fries. "This is what you're having. Still not hungry?"

Trixie smiled. "That does look a lot better." She looked at Sparky. "Thank you for getting this for us."

"Hey, what makes you so sure I didn't?" Speed asked.

"Because you said you weren't going to leave me."

Speed smiled. "Glad you were listening." He sat down at the table and took a bite of his burger and nodded. "Good choice, Sparky."

Sparky just nodded, his mouth was too full to answer.

Speed was glad to see that Trixie was actually eating.

While they were eating, Sparky said, "You have a nice apartment."

Trixie smiled. "Thanks. Where are you staying?"

"We've been over at the Western Knight," Speed said.

"If you'd like, I do have a second room, and a fold out sofa, you can stay with me," Trixie said.

"That would be great, Trixie," Sparky said.

Speed nodded. He was glad she'd offered. "Thank you, Trixie. I gotta say, I'm really tired of hotel air conditioner hum."

"Do you think they'll let me leave tomorrow?"

Speed nodded. "Well, you seem pretty lucid right now, and the concussion's the only reason you have to stay the night. I am glad you have a first floor apartment. I think stairs would be really hard." He frowned. "Can you fly your chopper with a broken leg?"

Trixie shook her head. "Good thing they decided to fire me," she said wryly.

Speed just raised his eyebrow. "I looked at your contract. If I read it right, they have to pay it out."

"Really?" she asked. Then she looked at Speed. "How bad is my car?"

"Sweetheart, you totaled it."

She frowned. "I liked that car."

"Well, I love you. So please don't ever do anything like that again. Okay?"

Trixie looked at him. Speed was serious. He was here for her, he loved her, and he meant it. She nodded. "Okay."

"I can fly the chopper home, if you'd like Trixie. You and Speed can drive my car back. Unless you'd rather put it on the moving truck, and we'll all fly home," Sparky said. Trixie smiled at him, and looked over at Speed.

Before Speed could answer, Trixie's room phone rang. She was puzzled. Who would know she was here? Trixie set down her burger and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"You should have died in that car accident. Can't you do anything right, you stupid mouse?"

Trixie hung up the phone, tears in her eyes, and looked away from Speed and Sparky. Speed turned to Sparky for a moment, then looked at Trixie, who was withdrawing from them.

"Who was it?"

Trixie shrugged slightly, and curled up on her side.

Speed came over. "What did they say?"

"That I should have died and I was stupid and can't do anything right," she mumbled.

Speed was angry. "Stay here, Sparky," he said harshly, causing Trixie to flinch, assuming Speed was mad at her.

Sparky nodded, as Speed left the room.

"He's not mad at you, Trixie. I promise. He's mad at whoever called."

Trixie just shrugged. "Doesn't matter," she mumbled.

Sparky looked towards the door. For a few minutes, they'd had the Trixie they knew back. Now she was withdrawing again. He had known she was being bullied by Speed's fans, but had no idea it had gotten to the point she could no longer cope with it at all. 'Hurry back, Speed,' he thought.

Meanwhile, Speed approached the nurses' station. "I want to know how a phone call got put through to Trixie's room," he said.

Nurse Jackson looked up and was surprised to see the anger on the young man's face. "The hospital operator will put through any calls that are made, as long as they know the patient's name."

"Well, how did anyone else know she was here?" he demanded.

"Mr…?"

"Racer. Speed Racer."

"Mr. Racer, Ms. Shimura is the traffic reporter for the local news channel. Her accident was a lead story on the five o'clock news." She said. "It was actually a really nice piece. They showed a couple of her clips, then a picture of her car. Would you like me to ask them for a copy of the tape?"

"No. I want to make sure she doesn't get any more calls."

"I can't do that, sir."

"Then I will remove the phone. If someone needs to get a message to her, they can call this station."

"Mr. Racer that is totally unacceptable. Ms. Shimura has a right to get calls."

He glared at her. "Are you telling me she deserves to have people call her up and tell her she should have died in that wreck?"

The nurse looked shocked. "Excuse me?"

"Trixie is very fragile right now, Nurse Jackson," he said, worried. "With her concussion, she seems very susceptible to this right now."

The nurse nodded. "I'll ask them to screen her calls. Who would you like to be able to call her?"

Speed thought a moment. Then he decided just his family and Sparky. He gave the nurse the names. "I want to limit her visitors too. Just Sparky and me."

"I will confirm with her if she agrees to that," Nurse Jackson said.

Speed nodded. "Thank you. And I am fine with you checking to see if she approves of the list I gave you. I just want to protect her. I'm not trying to control her, I promise."

Nurse Jackson followed Speed back to Trixie's room, and was surprised to find her sobbing.

"She got another call, Speed. I tried to stop her from answering it," Sparky said. He had been unsuccessfully trying to calm her down.

Speed went to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. The phone rang again. This time, Speed answered it. He waited until the caller finished. "Interesting way to talk to my girl."

"Speed?" the caller asked. "Is that really you? Oh wow, I'm such a huge fan!"

"That is Mr. Racer to you. If you were a fan, you'd want me to be happy. Clearly, you're just a jerk." He hung up.

"What did she say?" Trixie asked in a small voice.

Speed snorted. "Nothing important, sweetheart. Nothing she said is true. Do you believe me?"

Trixie looked at him. She wanted to.

Nurse Jackson had seen enough. "Ms. Shimura, do you mind if I limit the callers to this room? Mr. Racer has suggested his family and your friend here."

"You can do that?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes. And we can limit your visitors."

"Just Speed and Sparky."

"I'll notify security," she said.

Speed kissed Trixie's cheek as the nurse left. "Now, you need to finish that burger."

"I don't think I can," Trixie said softly.

Speed just smiled. "Upset stomach?"

Trixie nodded.

"Take a bite for me?" Speed cajoled. His attentiveness was confusing her, but Trixie took a bite of the burger for him. After a moment she decided it was safe to finish.

"Tomorrow's Sunday. What shall we do after you get out of here?" Speed asked.

Trixie shrugged.

Sparky said, "Why don't I start packing up your place, while you and Speed go out and do something…movie or go for a drive or maybe a nice dinner?"

"That's a great idea, Sparky!" Speed said. "How about it, Trixie? Would you show me around?"

Trixie nodded and smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

A week later, Trixie watched as Speed and Sparky helped the movers load the last of her boxes into the truck. Speed had decided he would rather spend two or three days driving back home with Trixie, and really focusing on developing their relationship .

Trixie was sitting on a bench in front of the apartment when Robin drove up. She looked at Robin warily.

"Hi, Trixie," she said as she walked up.

"Hello," Trixie said cautiously.

"I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry, Trixie. I feel like we could have been friends, if I hadn't brought Claudia over. I want you to know I had no idea she was like that."

Trixie nodded. She was leery of Robin.

"Hi Robin," Speed said.

"Mr. Racer."

He looked at her, "You can call me Speed. "

Trixie was confused. Speed smiled. "When did you meet her?"

"Right after you left the coffee shop on Saturday," he said.

"You were there?!"

Speed nodded. He had actually forgotten all about that, after everything that had happened. "Yeah. I was just about to come over and talk to you when Claudia came in. I didn't get a chance."

Trixie smiled. "I didn't see you."

"Well, you weren't exactly expecting me to be there."

"Trixie, I wanted to tell you something. The station has gotten a ton of complaints since they cancelled your segment. I'm surprised they didn't try to get you back."

Speed grinned. "They did. She told them that she'd already made arrangements to move. They had their chance."

Robin smiled. "Do you have a job lined up?"

"I have an interview. It's not the same, but it's something."

"Good luck."

"Would you still like an aerial tour?" Trixie asked.

"Can you fly it?"

Trixie shook her head. "But Sparky could. If he doesn't mind."

Sparky came up. "I don't."

"Robin's never flown at all," Trixie said.

"Speed, I'm going to drive these ladies over to the airfield and take them up in the chopper. Wanna come?"

Speed shook his head. "I'll see the movers off, then get us something for dinner." He walked over to Trixie and hugged her, then kissed her cheek. "You have fun."

Trixie nodded.

"He's a sweet guy," Robin said. "I'm glad he treats you right."

Trixie smiled. "He's wonderful."

-5-5-5-5-5-Mach-GO-GO-GO-5-5-5-5-5-

They had been home for a couple of weeks, and Speed had a race coming up. Just before he went to his car, Speed pulled Trixie to him. "When the race is over, wait. I know you usually rush out, but wait."

She looked at him, confused.

"Trust me, sweetheart."

"I do."

"I love you," Speed said, giving her a kiss. "for luck," he whispered.

"I love you too. And you don't need luck, not with your skills."

Speed winked at her. "Remember, you're my girl."

Trixie nodded, and Speed ran off to the Mach 5. Then she walked over to join Sparky in the pit. As she did, she passed by several of Speed's fans. They called out "pet mouse" and a lot of other names. She just looked at them and smiled, and walked right past. 'I'm his girl,' she thought. 'And I know he wants to be with me. Not just because I'm here.' With that knowledge, she could ignore anything they said.

"You okay?" Sparky asked as she arrived.

Trixie nodded, and Sparky smiled. She listened in as Speed and Sparky talked during the race, and cheered loudly when Speed crossed in first place. Sparky looked at her, then smiled. "Speed asked me not to rush out."

Sparky nodded. "I know." He went over and pulled the tarp off of a pile. It was a golf cart. Sparky took a jacket off the seat. "Come on," he said.

Trixie walked over and got in the cart and Sparky drove her over to the Mach 5. Speed hopped out of the Mach 5 and took the jacket from Sparky, then walked over to Trixie and helped her put it on. When he got to the Mach 5, he reached in and pulled out a jacket and put it on himself, then he lifted Trixie into the car. "Ready for a victory lap?"

Trixie nodded. Then she looked at Speed's jacket. It was a white jacket, and down his right sleeve, it said "Trixie & Speed" in blue lettering. She looked at her own pink jacket. Her right sleeve said "Speed & Trixie" in white letters.

"Like it?"

"I love it," Trixie said.

Speed smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too, Speed," Trixie said.

She didn't care what his fans had to say. Let them tease her. Let them say what they want. Speed mattered. Today was wonderful, and tomorrow she'd be flying and reporting on the traffic in a town she knew like the back of her hand.


End file.
